


Basic Respect

by Proskenion



Series: Lully's Song. [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Corporal Punishment, Gen, Humiliation, Master/Slave, Non-Sexual Slavery, Physical Abuse, Punishment, Slavery, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23286817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proskenion/pseuds/Proskenion
Summary: Lully has been serving at Scaron Bonifay's place for a month. Today, Scaron's nephew comes to visit. Everything goes well, until Lully lacks of respect toward the master, which he cannot let go unpunishment. Or when Lully learns the reality of her condition the hard way. Also Scaron's nephew is sweet and handsome.
Series: Lully's Song. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674253
Kudos: 3





	Basic Respect

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya ! 
> 
> And already a second part :) I have a couple more in mind so I'll try to write them and post them here quickly :) 
> 
> This one is more angsty. If you want to read but skip the violent part, stop when Lully enters the office and start reading again at "But she could not escape her chores for too long." ;) 
> 
> Enjoy !

Lully had arrived at Priest Scaron Bonifay’s house about a month ago. The first days had been hard, with all the chores and new lifestyle for her. But she had found her footing now. Athalia, unsurprisingly, had become a dear friend. The two maids spent most of their days together, sharing the same chores. Ninon revealed herself much warmer than Lully had first thought. The woman was a bit brusque at first sight, but she had in fact a kind heart. But the one Lully cared most for was Alceste. The young man was always joyful, always helpful, always ready to make a joke. He was also the one Lully was the most shy with. Philippe and Jules were nice boys as well. The only one she could not stand was Argan. He had such a pompous way of addressing them all, as if he were so much more than them, and all that because he was Scaron’s valet and secretary. More than once, Lully had to bit her tongue to prevent herself to remind him he was just another slave, like they all were. Fortunately, Argan spent much more time with Scaron than with them.

Today was a special day, for Scaron was expecting his nephew to visit. Donatien Bonifay was a young officer serving in the Royal Army, and he was back to the capital from the front. A war quickly done and people new very little about. It was far from the country, so it was of little concern for everyone. It was not the kind of war that were dangerous. The King had simply sent a few companies to one of his allied kingdoms who were struggling with some rebellion of their people. Donatien’s company had been sent, and now that it was all over and dealt with, the officer was back, and one of the first thing he planned when arrived was a nice lunch at his uncle’s place. 

The kitchen was upside down, Ninon being only a ball of irritation and nervousness. Alceste had been out with Philippe and Jules since dawn to organise the yard, garden, and stables. Lully was trying to follow the movement, though she was starting to feel quite nervous and upset herself. Argan would pop up regularly to supervise that everything was going well, and each one of his visit in the kitchen would annoy Ninon even more, and she would then unwind her stress on Athalia and Lully. At some point, Lully slimpy ran away from the kitchen to take a breath – she felt that if Ninon would yell at her one more time she would lose her temper herself, and it would not be a good thing. 

When lunch was just finally ready, Alceste ran inside the kitchen, saying :

‘He’s here !’ 

Ninon shrieked as if surprised in an horrible situation. Athalia and Lully glanced at each other and swallowed back a laugh. 

‘Quick, quick ! Make yourself decent and go outside to welcome him !’ the first maid exclaimed. 

Make yourself decent simply meant taking your apron off and washing your hands. It was quickly done, and a few minutes later, all the slaves were lined up outside, except from Argan who were standing a little behind Scaron at the door. First were Alceste and the boys, and then Ninon, Athalia, and Lully. They were all standing, hands clasped in front of them and head down, the usual position of slaves in front of their master. All, except Lully. She kept her head up, looking at the young officer jumping off his horse. He was tall and lean, and very handsome. He walked straight to his uncle. But when he passed in front of Lully, he glanced at her. He must have felt her gaze on him. Their eyes met. She did not avert her eyes. The young man smikerd and turned his head, opening his arms to hug his uncle. 

‘It is such a pleasure and relief to have you back, nephew.’ 

‘The pleasure is mine, uncle,’ answered Donatien with a nice, melodious voice. ‘And you know I was never in real danger.’ 

At that, Lully almost sneered. Of course he was not, he was an officer, a noble, a man with name. The ones in real danger during wars were the soldier slaves, the people with no names, like her. Scaron and Donatien went inside, and Argan gestured to the other slaves to leave and go back to their works. Alceste had come forward to seize Donatien’s horse’s reins, and he was now leading it to the stabbles, followed by Jules and Philippe. Lully turned to Athalia and noticed the girl was staring at her. 

‘You shouldn’t look at the masters like that,’ Athalia whispered. ‘You are lucky no one but me noticed. 

Lully shrugged and said nothing. After all, not so long ago, she was still this young man equal, and she did not felt different now. A bit moody, she went back to the kitchen with the others. 

The lunch went alright. Argan had asked Philippe to come help me serve the master and his nephew, and the young boy was both proud and extremely anxious of the priviledge. When lunch was done without any incident, and Philippe went back in the kitchen bringing Scaron’s and Donatien’s praise about the food, Ninon sighed in relief, letting herself fall on a chair for the first time of the day. She smiled with pride. Then it was time for the slaves to have their own lunch. 

They were half through it when Argan burst in the kitchen. 

‘The young master will stay for the night,’ he informed. ‘You, go prepare his room.’ He had said that to Athalia and Lully. He disappeared, just as quickly as he came. A silence settled in. 

‘Well, you’ve heard him,’ Ninon finally said. Pouting a bit, Lully left her half-eaten lunch to grow cold and went upstairs with Athalia. 

‘Do you know him ? The officer, I mean,’ Lully asked while they were doing the bed. 

‘Not much,’ Athalia answered. ‘He visits often, but as a maid I don’t really get the chance to know him, you know.’ She said that matter-of-factly, though Lully wondered if there was not some sort of hidden reproach. She said nothing. 

They left the room once they were done, heading for the kitchen. Just after turning in a corner of the corridor, they found themselves face to face with Scaron and his nephew. They froze, and stood in the usual position, head down. Even Lully, this time. 

‘What are you doing here ?’ Scaron asked. 

‘Getting Officer Bonifay’s room ready, master,’ Athalia replied softly, keeping her head down. 

‘This one is new, isn’t she ?’ It was Donatien’s voice. Lully quickly glanced up, knowing he was talking about her. ‘What’s her name ?’ 

‘Lully.’ Everyone froze. Lully had answered herself. She had spoken without being invited to, without even being addressed to. She felt more than heard Athalia’s silent gasp beside her. The answer had escaped her lips. And she would not stand people talking about her as if she was not here. 

‘How dare you ?’ Scaron said slowly. 

‘It’s alright, uncle. It’s on me, I should have asked her myself.’ Lully glanced at the young man again, a beginning of anger finding its way in her chest. Scaron ignored him. 

‘Talking when not allowed to is very disrespectful,’ the priest said dryly. 

‘Forgive her, master,’ Athalia said softly. ‘She is new, she’s still learning.’ 

Scaron glared at the maid. ‘I know she’s new,’ he said, ‘but I had hoped she would know such basic maners now. Beside, if she doesn’t, it is your fault. As her work partner, you are responsible of her training.’ 

Lully put her head up quickly. There was many things in what Scaron had just said that angered her – the word _training_ , for a start – but what really made her lose her temper was how the man easily put the blame on Athalia. The poor girl had turned blank. Bowing lower, she mumbled apologies. 

‘Don’t chastise her for something she is not responsible about,’ Lully exclaimed. This time, Athalia’s gasp was audible for everyone. 

‘I beg your pardon ?’ 

‘It is not her fault, and I won’t be talked about as if It'm not here ! You’re nephew’s right, he should have asked my name directly to me !’ 

Lully didn’t see the slap coming. It made her head turn and come back again like a spring. She was stunned. She had never been hit before. 

‘Go,’ Scaron ordered to Athalia. ‘And you, wait for me in my office.’ Still shocked, Lully was speechless, and she obeyed before even realising it. What drew her from her transe was Donatien’s voice behind her while she was going away, saying : 

‘Please, uncle, calm down. Don’t be too harsh on her, please.’ 

She came in the office and closed the door behind her. The first shock passed, she started to feel the heat of the blow on her cheek, and with it, she felt her anger coming back, too. When the door opened she spun around, welcoming Scaron Bonifay with lioness’ eyes. 

‘How dare you ?’ she seethed. 

‘How dare I ?’ the priest answered, almost amused. ‘I am your master.’ For a while they looked at each other in silence. ‘Drop that look,’ he ordered. She did not. He came closer to her, and she instinctively stepped back. She hated herself for it. ‘I told you on the day you arrived that being a relative wouldn’t give you any sort of priviledge, didn’t I ?’ 

‘Yes,’ she said between gritted teeth. 

‘And yet here you are, behaving like a queen.’ 

‘I am not. I’m just asking for basic respect.’ 

‘Basic respect ? You’re a slave. Which mean that among humans, you are the least deserving of any kind of respect.’ Lully opened her mouth to answer but he cut her short, ‘and it seems you are the one needing to be taught some manners.’ He looked at her, clearly waiting for any provocation. She stayed silent. ‘You will not ever address me the way youd id, especially not when I have company. And you will not ever speak to your better without being invited to. Is that clear ?’ Lully did not answer. ‘I take your silence for an approval,’ he said. ‘Now, go put your hands on my desktop.’ 

‘What ?’ Lully sounded genuinely surprised, her confusion suddenly stronger than her anger. 

‘Go to my desk and put your hands on the desktop,’ Scaron repeated. 

Lully obeyed, still more confused than anything. She jumped when she suddenly felt Scaron right behind her. When she felt his hands on the back of her dress, undoing the laces that put the dress together, she jumped away. ‘What on earth are you doing ?’ she exclaimed. She looked at him, furious and, for the first time, scared. Only then she noticed he had taken his belt off and folded it in two. ‘You wouldn’t dare !’ 

‘I am your master,’ he said once more, as if those simple words contained all the answers. She made a move to escape but he grabbed her wrist. He pulled her to him and shoved her on the desk again, keeping her there by grasping the back of her neck. She struggled as he undid her dress and pulled the fabric away, revealing most of her back. ‘I think six blows should do,’ he said. ‘Count them for me.’ 

Lully was in a fury, but understanding she would not escape, she stopped fighting and braced herself. When the first blow came, she was ready. She did not scream, despite the burning ache between her shoulder blades. She kept her eyes closed, her mouth closed, her face closed. She would not indulge him into counting or anything – it was humuliating enough to be in that position, and she did not want to please him in anyway. 

‘Well ?’ he said. ‘Lost your count already ?’ She groaned, much like an angry dog, which made him laugh. ‘Your choice. But don’t blame me if I lost count and give you more blows than planned.’ 

‘Wha –’ her question drowned in a whimper as the leather strap landed on her back again. Scaron was waiting, she knew it. Waiting for her to count. ‘Two,’ she whispered between gritted teeth. 

‘Oh no, I’m afraid this is only the first one. Only the one you count aloud matters.’ After that he gave another blow before she could get the chance to answer. No whimper this time, only a loud breath out. 

‘Two,’ she said, almost inaudible. 

She had her hands turned into fists under her chest, her whole body tensed like the thin rope of a bow. She had never been in such pain before. But worse than the pain was the humiliation. All the words he had just told her were flashing before her at every strikes. _You are a slave. Among humans, you are the least deserving. I am your master._ She thought her head would explose. 

‘Six.’ It was over. She felt Scaron’s fingers letting go of her neck. Only then she realised how firm the grip had been, his fingers leaving an empty, cold spot on her skin. She stood up, but kept her back on him. When he ordered her to look at him, she deliberately obeyed very slowly. _I hate you_ , she thought when she saw his face. She did not say it aloud, but she gave him a look that she hoped conveyed the exact same idea. She seethed inside when he sneered. 

‘You will soon drop that look, you’ll see,’ he said. She lifted her chin as a provocation. ‘Go away, and make sure I don’t see you again today.’ 

She left the room, volontarily forgetting to bow, and slamming the door behind her. Oh no, she would not _drop that look_ , as he said. 

She ran directly to her room and locked herself in. When Athalia came to ask if she was alright, and to tell her Ninon would need them soon, Lully replied that she was sick. It was almost not a lie. Her wrath made her feel quite feverish. Lying on her belly on her bed, her hand reached for her father’s watch. The cold metallic object in her hand immediately soothed her. Eventually, she fell asleep. 

But she could not escape her chores for too long, and the morning after she was back at work. She wondered if the others knew what happened on the day before. She decided she did not care, as long as no one talked about it. And no one seemed willing to talk about it. 

She was outside, holding some laundry to dry, when a voice behind her made her start. 

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.’ It was Donatien. She glared at him, suspicious and annoyed. ‘Lully, is that right ?’ 

‘What do you want ?’ she asked dryly. He looked at her with curiosity. He smiled, visibly amused. 

‘Just talk, I guess,’ he said. ‘See if you are alright.’ 

‘What do you care ?’ she replied. And then, going back to her chore, ‘I don’t like you. I’ve been beaten because of you.’ She saw the young man was taken aback, and she felt glad about it. 

‘This is not how I recall it,’ he finally said coldly. She ignored him, resuming her work. She had nothing else to say to him. But he did not go. When she started to really feel annoyed by his presence and was about to say something to make him go, she heard him sigh. Against her will, she glanced at him. ‘I apologise,’ he said. ‘Did my uncle hurt you ?’ 

‘He beat me, of course he hurt me,’ she replied, sharp as a cutting blade. She might as well has just called him an idiot. She remember the strong stings of the belt on her bare skin, skin that was still a bit reddish. Her anger towards the man grew a little bit more.

‘Of course, I’m sorry. I meant… Well, I hope he did not hurt you too much.’ 

She glared at him, quickly, and bent to take a shirt in the basket at her feet to hang it to one of the thread above her head. She wondered why he was still here, what he wanted from her. Could he not leave her alone ? 

‘You don’t act like the other slaves,’ he commented. 

‘I’m not like the other slaves,’ she answered back. She immediately regretted saying that – it sounded so snobbish. It made Donatien laugh, though. 

‘Yes, that’s true,’ he whispered. Lully froze. He knew about her fate, she realised. He knew who she truly was. Noticing the sudden tensed stillness of her body he said, in what he hoped was a comforting voice, ‘I am sorry for your mother.’ She gave him such a black look that he almost stepped back in surprise. 

‘Don’t be,’ she said coldly. ‘I’m not.’ 

She saw he was about to say something but Athalia arrived with another huge basket full of clean laundry, and when he saw her, he took his leave. Athalia put the basket at her feet and put her hands on her hips. She looked at Lully, then at the young man’s figure in the distance. 

‘What did he want ?’ she asked. 

‘I haven’t the slightest idea,’ Lully answered. 

She thought she would like to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading ! As always, reviews, questions, suggestions, supositions, anything, is really appreciated ;) <3


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